Hard at work
HRD happy with Jamia’s new status.
HRD happy with Jamia’s new status
Confused about whether or not to enforce OBC reservations in Jamia Millia Islamia, HRD ministry officials are quietly breathing a sigh of relief that now they do not have to take that decision. With the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions awarding minority status to Jamia, the university which was avoiding OBC quotas for the past two years, no longer needs to reserve seats for backward class students.
The Central Educational Institutions (reservations in admissions) Act requires all central universities except minority varsities to implement 27% OBC reservations by the 2011 academic session. With Jamia not even starting OBC reservations in the previous two years, the HRD ministry was desperately trying to amend the act, allowing more time for implementing the quotas ahead of the academic session starting in less than five months.
Jamia would otherwise have stood in violation of the law. Now, with the NCMEI judgement, the government need not worry any more.
Video conferencing cuts down travel woes
The Delhi Police commissioner can now communicate with his top officers simultaneously, without even stepping out of the police headquarters. The new video conferencing facility, which enables the commissioner to see the officer he is talking to on a TV screen and vice-versa, has become a huge success along with the man behind it: joint commissioner, north, Karnal Singh.
The conferencing facility has cut down travel time drastically. Earlier, officers posted in districts such as outer and north-west would spend up to three hours travelling to the police headquarters.
Patel conspicuous by his absence
The aviation ministry kicked off its centenary celebrations with a grand function at a five-star hotel in Delhi. However, conspicuous by his absence was former civil aviation minister Praful Patel.
It was Patel who had announced last month that the ministry will organise various events through the year to commemorate the occasion. Many were surprised by his absence, who had been aviation minister for seven years, before Vayalar Ravi.
